Ever since the first aria shivered the timbers of a concert hall, the uninitiated and the unpersuaded have probably been sneering at opera.

Critics were wrong when they said opera wasn't what it used to be, quipped playwright No&#xEB;l Coward. "It is what it used to be. That's what's wrong with it."

And - to get it out of the way - it was an American journalist, Dan Cook, who first observed that "the opera isn't over till the fat lady sings".

As Richard Mantle, general director of Opera North, will tell you, the modern diva is expected to be a nifty mover as well as a vocal athlete. Gargantuan sopranos have gone the way of goalies with pipes.

But this is a story about the mounting success and accessibility of an artform which has suffered from an aura of exclusivity.

Opera North, based in Leeds, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. It has been visiting the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, for the past five years, since replacing Scottish Opera which lost its funding to venture south of the border.

Richard Mantle has run both companies so has an association with the North-East stretching back nearly 20 years, during which he has seen the audience for opera grow. He is happy to reflect on a success story.

"The company has always enjoyed a good audience reponse in Newcastle. During the season just gone we were selling at 82pc of capacity in the city, 20pc more than the season before.

"There has been a real surge of attendance, a more significant increase than anywhere else we tour to."

Much of this, he believes, can be attributed to assiduous audience development work although, understandably, he adds: "I hope they enjoy our productions." All of this doesn't sit well with the age-old accusation of opera as elitist.

"It is all to do with what you know," argues the Opera North boss. "If you don't know anything about football, you probably don't go to matches.

"However, I accept there are suspicions that it's for a relatively small number of people."

This might change, at least on Teesside where pupils at several schools are working on an opera project devised by Creative Partnerships (CP), the Government scheme aimed at realising youthful potential.

Carol Alevroiyanni, creative director of CP Tees Valley, was looking for a multi-faceted project to engage hundreds of young people. A meeting with Middlesbrough-born soprano Suzannah Clark, a passionate champion of her artform, brought opera to the fore. Northern Stage came on board and the project was launched with a musical summer school for 50 children, aged nine to 16.

Meanwhile, teachers from the area enjoyed a crash course at the Royal Opera House. "They came back and said it was the best thing they had ever done," says Carol.

The tangible end product is to be a new opera, possibly to be performed on Darlington station next August. Under professional supervision, the youngsters will sing and make costumes and sets.

"We asked children to volunteer, stressing that it would be a major commitment over the course of a year," says Carol.

She says any worries she may have had were blown away at the summer school. "I realised I had made the right decision. Although people may have preconceptions about opera, these were far removed from the young people we were working with. It is really something beyond their experience and it is proving a rich field to work in."

The Sage Gateshead has also been demonstrating its clout in this area. Already it has initiated and supported a host of singing projects.

One of its commissions is a children's opera by board member Howard Goodall, who composed the Blackadder theme tune, which is likely to be premiered in 2005.

Meanwhile, another children's opera, this time by Martyn Harry, composer-in-residence at Durham University, is to get an airing at Baltic, Gateshead, on November 15.

Opera is also a prime concern of the Samling Foundation, a North-East charity dedicated to nurturing the art superstars of the future. Sir Thomas Allen, the famous baritone, is one of its patrons and has conducted a series of masterclasses for the world's most promising singers.

One of the beneficiaries is the young New Zealander Jonathan Lemalu who will take the stage at the North-East Last Night of the Proms at Newcastle City Hall on October 18.

But if it's the established names you want, look no further than Dame Kiri Te Kanawa who will star with the Northern Sinfonia in a Christmas gala concert at the City Hall on December 12.

All this suggests opera has a rosy future in the North-East. But Richard Mantle is keen that the grass shouldn't grow under Opera North's feet. The company was recently awarded &#xA3;90,000 by the Northern Rock Foundation to support its own education work and is wooing a modern audience with a new programme of eight short operas. Rather than double bills, the conventional way of presenting shorter works, each production will be sold separately. The dedicated fan could see one opera at 7.15pm and a second a couple of hours later. But you don't lose money if you choose only the later one.

"We are conscious that people's lifestyles are changing and so is the way they undertake their entertainment," says Richard Mantle. "This is particularly true of younger people."

Look out for this radical programming in Newcastle next year - but don't expect any fat ladies. Modern opera, the message goes, is lean and chic.

Opera North will be at Newcastle Theatre Royal from October 21 to 25.

There will be five performances of Verdi's La Traviata. Sung in Italian, set in Paris and oozing with emotion, it is everything opera is widely considered to be.

"The reason operas become popular is usually that they are bloody good," points out Richard Mantle.

There will be two performances of Manon by Jules Massenet, a new production sung in French, and one of Dvor&#xE1;k's Rusalka, another new production. Sung in English, it includes the touching aria Song To The Moon. In February the company will be back with The Barber Of Seville and The Bartered Bride.